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Zelenskyy, Poroshenko, and now Pavliuk: Russia expands wanted list to include Ukraine’s Ground Forces Chief

Russian authorities haven’t specified the criminal code articles under which they’re searching for Pavliuk, as with Zelenskyy and Poroshenko.

byEuheniia Martyniuk

04/05/2024

2 minute read

Russia massing 100.000 troops for potential summer offensive - Ukraine Ground Forces Chief

The Commander of the Ukrainian Ground Forces, Lt. Gen. Oleksandr Pavliuk. Photo: ArmyInform

Zelenskyy, Poroshenko, and now Pavliuk: Russia expands wanted list to include Ukraine’s Ground Forces Chief

Russian authorities have announced they are searching for Oleksandr Pavliuk, the Commander of the Ukrainian Ground Forces, according to the Russian news agency RIA Novosti citing the Russian Interior Ministry’s database.

Earlier today, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and former Ukrainian leader Petro Poroshenko appeared in Russia’s wanted database.

Screenshot from the Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs database, published by the Russian state news agency RIA Novosti.

However, like in the cases of Zelenskyy and Poroshenko, the criminal charges against Pavliuk remain unspecified.

Notably, the wanted poster published by Russian agencies depicts Pavliuk wearing an outdated Ukrainian military uniform that has not been used in years.

The Ukrainian Ministry of Foreign Affairs denounced these actions as desperate attempts by the Russian state propaganda machine to draw attention, noting the absurdity of the situation given that last year, the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued an arrest warrant for Russian President Vladimir Putin over the forced deportation of Ukrainian children, leading Russia to declare wanted the ICC judge who signed Putin’s warrant.

Prior to this, Russia had also declared wanted several other high-ranking Ukrainian officials, including former Finance Minister Oleksandr Shlapak, former National Bank head Stepan Kubiv, and National Security and Defense Council Secretary Oleksandr Lytvynenko. In May 2023, the then-Commander-in-Chief of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, Valerii Zaluzhnyi, and the then-Commander of the Ground Forces, Oleksandr Syrskyi, were added to Russia’s wanted list.

Furthermore, in December 2023 and March 2024, Russia announced searches for the heads of the Ukrainian intelligence agency, Kyrylo Budanov, and the Security Service, Vasyl Malyuk, respectively.

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